Sabine Frank-Podlech

Current Position:

Post-doctoral fellow

Research Interests:

I’m interested in neural and behavioral correlates of adiposity, eating behavior and weight loss (maintenance) with a focus on nutritional fat. For that, I use visual stimulation with food items or actual food intake of meals differing in fat content or fat type. Therefore, I investigate food- and weight-related brain functions by using structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques. In various fMRI studies, I examined neural gustatory, reward-related and homeostatic processes in lean and obese subjects as well as subjects who lost weight through conventional interventions or bariatric surgery.
On a behavioral level, my main interest is eating habits which, if unbalanced and unhealthy, are tightly linked with obesity. The behavioral challenge is thus the change of unhealthy eating habits. Here, I study underlying behavioral and neuronal underpinnings of such changes.

Current projects:

NeuroFat

FatHabits

Selected Publications:

Frank-Podlech S, Heinze JM, Machann J, Scheffler K, Camps G, Fritsche A, Rosenberger M, Hinrichs J, Veit R, Preissl H (2019) Functional Connectivity Within the Gustatory Network Is Altered by Fat Content and Oral Fat Sensitivity – A Pilot Study. Front Neurosci 13:725.

Frank-Podlech S, von Schnurbein J, Veit R, Heni M, Machann J, Kullmann S, Manzoor J, Mahmood S, Haring HU, Preissl H, Wabitsch M, Fritsche A (2018) Leptin Replacement Reestablishes Brain Insulin Action in the Hypothalamus in Congenital Leptin Deficiency. Diabetes Care, Apr;41(4):907-910.

Frank S, Heinze JM, Fritsche A, Linder K, von Feilitzsch M, Konigsrainer A, Haring HU, Veit R, Preissl H (2016) Neuronal Food Reward Activity in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes With Improved Glycemic Control After Bariatric Surgery. Diabetes Care 39(8):1311-7.

Frank S, Veit R, Sauer H, Enck P, Friederich HC, Unholzer T, Bauer UM, Linder K, Heni M, Fritsche A, Preissl H (2016) Dopamine Depletion Reduces Food-Related Reward Activity Independent of BMI. Neuropsychopharmacology 41:1551-1559.

Heinze JM, Preissl H, Fritsche A, Frank S (2015) Controversies in fat perception. Physiol Behav 152:479-493.

Frank S, Wilms B, Veit R, Ernst B, Thurnheer M, Kullmann S, Fritsche A, Birbaumer N, Preissl H, Schultes B (2014) Altered brain activity in severely obese women may recover after Roux-en Y gastric bypass surgery. Int J Obes (Lond) 38:341-348.

Frank S, Linder K, Fritsche L, Hege MA, Kullmann S, Krzeminski A, Fritsche A, Schieberle P, Somoza V, Hinrichs J, Veit R, Preissl H (2013) Olive oil aroma extract modulates cerebral blood flow in gustatory brain areas in humans. Am J Clin Nutr 98:1360-1366.

Frank S, Heni M, Moss A, von Schnurbein J, Farooqi S, Haring HU, Fritsche A, Preissl H, Wabitsch M (2013) Long-term stabilization effects of leptin on brain functions in a leptin-deficient patient. PLoS One 8:e65893.

Frank S, Kullmann S, Veit R (2013) Food related processes in the insular cortex. Frontiers in human neuroscience 7:499.

Frank S, Linder K, Kullmann S, Heni M, Ketterer C, Cavusoglu M, Krzeminski A, Fritsche A, Haring HU, Preissl H, Hinrichs J, Veit R (2012) Fat intake modulates cerebral blood flow in homeostatic and gustatory brain areas in humans. Am J Clin Nutr 95:1342-1349.

Frank S, Lee S, Preissl H, Schultes B, Birbaumer N, Veit R (2012) The obese brain athlete: self-regulation of the anterior insula in adiposity. PLoS One 7:e42570.

Frank S, Heni M, Moss A, von Schnurbein J, Fritsche A, Haring HU, Farooqi S, Preissl H, Wabitsch M. (2011) Leptin therapy in a congenital leptin-deficient patient leads to acute and long-term changes in homeostatic, reward, and food-related brain areas. J Clin Endocrinol Metab; 96(8):E1283-7.

Frank S, Laharnar N, Kullmann S, Veit R, Canova C, Hegner YL, Fritsche A, Preissl H. (2010) Processing of food pictures: influence of hunger, gender and calorie content. Brain Res;1350:159-66.

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